Turning Digital Data into Actionable Insights!

Web analytics

The past couple of months I’ve been seeing more and more discussion about breaking into web analytics as a career.

There are plenty of articles out there with great career advice.
Jim Sterne recently put together a list of resources and links for starting a career in web analytics.

I don’t want to repeat what others have already said, but I do want to add some fodder for thought that I don’t seem to be seeing other people mentioning.

As I mentioned in my previous post about selling web analytics, web analytics is just a tool.
A means to an ends.

Think of a carpenter’s tool box – hammer, saw, screwdriver, drill, etc.
Yes, you need to be proficient using these tools to be a good carpenter, but the point is that you’re using these tools to make something!

Which brings me to my point.

In order to be successful in web analytics, you need to “make something with your tools”.

You should be using web analytics in order to provide value, specifically providing actionable information.

In order to provide information that is actionable, you need to have a good understanding and some real world experience in the realm you’re trying to improve.

While many online activities can be optimized using web analytics, here are some categories that are commonly optimized using web analytics.

Website Conversion Rate Optimization

Paid Search

Search Engine Optimization

Social Media

Email Marketing

Online to Offline Marketing

Each of the above topics can and should be using data in order to improve the results.

A common “life-cycle” using web analytics to improve something is:

What happened (make sure you’re measuring everything that needs to be measured)

Why it happened (analysis of the data together with domain expertise)

What’s next (domain expertise on how to make improvements)

Start over again

For example:

What happened
The bounce rate on our homepage is 68%. Domain experience tells you that this is abnormally high and can/should be reduced.

Why it happened (analysis of the data together with domain expertise)
Looking at the homepage I see it’s way to busy. Two column layout with equal size columns makes it hard know what to focus on. No clear headline and multiple competing calls to action.

What’s next (domain expertise on how to make improvements)
Split test different layouts, calls to action, headline, amount of content.
Ideally you should be able to provide recommendations for the actual variations to be tested, and not just say you should test this.

So, if you want a career in web analytics, you need to become proficient in one or more of the above topics so you’ll know how to answer the questions “why it happened” and “what’s next”.

It’s not enough to just tell people what’s broken –
You need to tell them how to fix it.

While I was at the Google Analytics Certified Partner summit this year, someone came up to me and asked:

How do you sell web analytics?

This is a question I deal with quite often, both internally within the agency I work for and when trying to convey the value of web analytics to clients.

The short answer is that you shouldn’t be trying to sell web analytics.

Web analytics is a tool, a means to an ends.

It has no inherent value by itself. It’s only through the analysis of data and providing actionable insights that it creates value.

You should be selling the value that can be gained by a proper web analytics implementation and actionable analysis.

Marketing people talk about selling the benefits, not the features.

Web analytics is a feature.
Improving the bottom line is a benefit.

A simple analogy is HTML (the code used to create web pages).
Imagine if you tried to pitch HTML services to a business. They would probably be scratching their heads as to why they need your services.

Now imagine pitching web site creation services, providing real world examples on how businesses have improved their bottom live with their web site.
Now they’re listening.

When selling services that include web analytics, try starting with the end result and then work your way backwards. If you start with the prize, people will usually pay more attention.

Here’s an example:

I can help you make an additional $80,000 a year

It will cost you a one time investment of $25,000 investment and $1,000 a month

You’re currently doing 3,000 sales a year

I will get you 400 additional sales a year (average sale value is $200)

The additional sales will come from improving your overall conversion rate by 13.3%